Mario Kart Tour will happily match you with strangers all day. Playing with a specific person, which is what you want if that person is your partner, takes a couple of extra steps. They are below.
Before you start
You each need your own copy on your own phone. Mario Kart Tour is on both the App Store and Google Play, so it does not matter which of you is on iPhone and which is on Android.
It is free to download, so there is no reason for one of you to hold off and watch over the other's shoulder.
Step by step
- Install it on both phones. Do this before you sit down to play — first-launch downloads are always bigger than you expect.
- Add each other as friends or join a private race. This is the step that connects the two of you rather than putting you in a public lobby.
- Line up and race head-to-head.
- Stay on a call while you set up the first time. Working out one game's friend system together takes five minutes; doing it over text takes half an hour.
When you cannot find each other
- Make sure you are both fully signed in, not playing as a guest — guest accounts are the most common reason a friend request never arrives.
- Check you have both got the app updated. A version gap can hide one of you from the other.
- Have the person creating the session send the invite rather than both of you searching at once.
- Restart the app on both phones before assuming something is broken.
Making Mario Kart Tour work as a couple thing
Once the setup is done, the question becomes whether you keep playing. Mario Kart Tour is best played as a running best-of series, and that shapes how to fit it into a week.
- Race each other or team up in quick, exciting matches.
- Short rounds are perfect for a playful showdown.
- A friendly rivalry that always ends in a rematch.
The couples who keep a game going are almost always the ones who attached it to something — after dinner, on the commute, before bed. The game matters less than the slot.
Similar games worth having installed
- Rocket League Sideswipe — Rocket League Sideswipe brings the car-soccer chaos of Rocket League to mobile in fast two-minute matches.
- Asphalt 9: Legends — Asphalt 9: Legends is a stunning arcade racer packed with supercars, nitro boosts and dramatic stunts.
- KartRider Rush+ — KartRider Rush+ is a free, cute kart racer built around satisfying drifting and lots of modes.
More of the same kind on our category page.
Where to go next
One more suggestion, unrelated to Mario Kart Tour: keep something running that neither of you can lose at. Our Flower Garden is ours — a shared garden, tended a few minutes at a time.
- Is Mario Kart Tour Cross-Platform? iPhone & Android
- How to Play 2 Player Games: The Challenge With Friends
- How to Play 8 Ball Pool With Friends
- How to Play Among Us With Friends
- Our full list of the best mobile couple games
Frequently asked questions
- How do I play Mario Kart Tour with my partner?
- Install Mario Kart Tour on both phones, add each other as friends or join a private race, then start a session together. The friend step is what keeps you out of a public lobby.
- Can you play Mario Kart Tour with friends as well as your partner?
- Yes — the same friend system that connects the two of you works for a wider group, so Mario Kart Tour scales up on the nights you want company.
- Why can't my partner see me in Mario Kart Tour?
- Usually one of you is signed in as a guest, or one copy of the app is out of date. Sign in properly on both phones, update both, then send the invite from one side rather than searching from both.
- Do we need to be in the same room to play Mario Kart Tour?
- No. Mario Kart Tour plays online, so the two of you can be anywhere as long as you both have a connection.
